Charles IX of France

Charles IX of France (27 June 1550-30 May 1574) was King of France from 5 December 1560 to 30 May 1574, succeeding Francis II of France and preceding Henry III of France.

Biography
Charles was the son of King Henry II of France and Catherine de Medici, and he ascended the throne upon the death of his brother Francis II of France in 1560. During his reign, the French Wars of Religion broke out between Protestants and Catholics after the massacre at Vassy in 1562, and he failed at numerous attempts to broker peace between the two faiths. In 1572, he had his sister Margaret of Valois marry the Huguenot leader Henry of Navarre in a desperate bid to reconcile his people, and he faced popular hostility against his policy of appeasement. In 1572, he allowed for the St. Bartholomew's Day massacre to take place, and many Huguenot leaders were murdered by Catholic mobs. Civil warfare began anew, and Charles unsuccessfully besieged the Protestant stronghold of La Rochelle. He died of tuberculosis in 1574, and he was succeeded by his brother, Henry III of France.